Website Hosting Reviews

Use coupon code Snowman to get 20% off your initial order at Host Gator.

Host Gator changes coupon or promotional codes every few months.  But don't worry, Website Hosting Reviews will keep you up to date.

Again, Host Gator Winter 2009 web hosting Coupon code is "snowman". See Host Gator web hosting review for reasons why HostGator is a top web hosting provider.

Fast web page load times are important, seriously.  And they're about to get even more important.

Says who?  Google, that's who.

Google has recently mentioned how fast a website loads will be included in its search engine ranking algorithm.  In other words, the faster your web page loads, the better chance it has to rank high in Google.

Here's the quote from Matt Cutts, a Google Engineer:

"I think a lot of people in 2010 are going to be thinking more about 'how do I have my site be fast,' how do I have it be rich without writing a bunch of custom javascript?'"

Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Product and User Experience at Google, recently mentioned that users really respond to speed.  Google did a study that shows that a half second delay in page load time equates to a 20% fall in page views.  Ouch.

UKFast has also reported Amazon has said that even a 100 millisecond page load delay can have a detrimental effect on user experience and consequently website revenues.

Seeing a trend?  We are.  The need for speed trend.

So what does this mean to a new or existing website owner?  You need to use web hosting that is FAST. 

Web hosts that are located near your customers have an advantage at faster load times.  In other words, if you're targeting customers in Europe, don't use a web host with servers in the U.S.

Here's our suggestions:

- Are your customers in Canada?  Use Canadian web host HostPapa. Hostpapa review here.

- Are your customers in the UK?  Use Fasthosts, the UK's #1 host.  Fasthosts review.

- Are your customers in the balance of Europe?  Use GoDaddy's web hosting with servers in The Netherlands.

- Are your customers in the U.S.?  Use Register.com, which includes a free dedicated IP address with all their web hosting offerings.  Read Register.com web hosting review.

Website Hosting Reviews recommends InMotion web hosting if you plan to include a shopping cart in your web site.  Click to read the full InMotion Hosting review.

Why?

Because InMotion has the fastest MySQL databases that are a core component of most shopping cart software.  They also support the main shopping carts, including the ones listed in this article.

What we didn't include in the InMotion web hosting review was reviews of the different Online eCommerce shopping cart software choices, which each have their pros and cons.

Free Shopping Carts - 

AgoraCart:

The free version of AgoraCart includes a basic package.  More modules are included as well as support if you upgrade to the gold paid version.

Magneto:

Magneto is PHP based.  There's an open source option that is free.  Or, if you're a larger company you can choose the Enterprise edition for a fee.

Some complaints about Magneto include the complexity of the PHP code, which makes modifying Magneto tough. Magneto's default layout/functionality is excellent and powerful.  But if you're not a strong PHP coder and want to modify Magneto we'd recommend you look for another solution.

osCommerce:

osCommerce has a vibrant developer community that pumps out new plugins all the time.  No wonder osCommerce may be the best known free shopping cart solution.  The front-end of osCommerce allows a high degree of customization.  osCommerce is PHP-based, and uses mySQL databases.  I'd recommend waiting for version 3.0, but development seems to be delayed for some reason.

Ubercart:

Ubercart works well for websites selling a limited number of items.  If you have a lot of products, Ubercart isn't recommended.  

Ubercart's best known for being developed to work with Drupal.  It's also known for being able to integrate with any site running PHP and MySQL.

Zen Cart:

Zen Cart started as part of osCommerce, but branched off.  Popular osCommerce plugins are included as a core part of the offering like the gift certificate module.  Zen Cart is utilizes PHP and MySQL databases.

Shopping Carts That Cost Money - 

CubeCart:

CubeCart is a template driven PHP based shopping cart.  Bells and whistles included - tax by state/zone or country, inventory control, gift certificates, and a lot more.  Modules are included to help you gain extra functionality.  Once you pay for CubeCart, you get free updates for the life of your website. 

ShopSite:

If you need to build a website from the ground up without having the limitations of most shopping cart sites, ShopSite may be the way to go.  A website building wizard is included in the core offering.  Or, if you want the flexibility of just adding buttons to an already-built site that works as well.

You can choose one of 3 levels of subscription to ShopSite, or just pay a one time fee.

X-Cart:

X-Cart is PHP based.  Also included is a CSS-based layout that you can customize.  X-Cart was developed to provide optimal solutions to reflect the different needs of online merchants from integration to existing websites, to support of special online shopping functionality.

Again, if you plan to include a shopping cart with your website, Website Hosting Reviews recommends InMotion web hosting - check out their business web hosting offerings NOW! 

Online eCommerce Shopping Cart Software Reviews

Importance of Auto Renewing Your Website Hosting

Your website drives customers to your business.  Your website is critically important, and becoming even moreso, to your businesses success.

Just like a telephone number, your website domain is your unique identifier on the internet. Your website provides a way for customers to discover your business, and learn how to contact you.  

So Why Mess Around? Set Your Web Hosting to Auto-Renew.

Too many people assume they will remember to renew their web hosting each year.  Unfortunately, people forget this critical date, and let their web hosting account go dark.

What happens then?

Well, for starters your website goes down.  You may not realize this for a few days, at which point you will have lost business that can't be recovered.

Also, if you use you website domain for your email address, you won't get any more business email.  Yes, that hurts.

What hurts even more is if someone else registers your domain name before you can renew it.  In this case you will end up paying a ransom to the new owners of the domain name to get it back, if they'll even sell it to you that is.

It's Not Worth the Risk.  Make Sure You:

1-  Buy your web hosting for multiple years at original purchase.  Most web hosts give a discount for registering web hosting for a longer time period.  So, you're saving money.  Search engines also prefer websites that are registered for multiple years - it's a sign of a website that won't be used for spamming purposes.

2- Turn on the auto renew function in your web hosts billing system.  Avoid forgetting to renew your website.  Just turn on the auto renewal.

3- Keep your contact information up to date at your web host.

Your website is important to your success.  Don't make a mistake and lose your website address!